KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The UMKC women’s basketball team received seven signed National Letters of Intent on the first day of the early signing period. With seven seniors set to exhaust their eligibility for the Roos following the 2017-18 season, it was imperative for the team to get capitalize on the 2018 recruiting class and they did just that by bringing in a formidable group of seven student athletes.

“This class was incredibly important for my staff and I in bringing in the right pieces”, noted Hoyt. “Not only is it a very large recruiting class, but it is special because it is our first signing class and the group that we are laying our foundation of the future with.”

Lock, the daughter of former Mizzou offensive lineman Andy Lock and sister of current Mizzou quarterback Drew Lock, is a standout guard for Lee’s Summit High School and the AAU team MO Phenom. The 5-9 guard has been an excellent scorer, averaging 14.3 points per game in leading her Lee’s Summit squad to the state tournament semi-finals. The Kansas City product has been a yearly figure on postseason award lists, earning All-Conference honors the past two seasons and was selected to the All-State First-Team a season ago. Lock has been tremendous in the classroom as well, landing on the Principal’s Honor Roll the past four years.

Beck, a 5-8 point guard from Whitney Young High School in Chicago, was honored with a slew of awards following her junior season. After leading the team in assists, averaging an impressive five per game along with 12.3 points and five rebounds per game, Beck earned All-City, All-District and All-Conference honors. Beck has played in AAU competition for Mac Irvin Lady Fire for the past seven years. Her sister, Katrina Beck, is a junior guard for the Illinois State women’s basketball team. Beck has been terrific in the classroom as well as on the court, a member of National Honors Society for the past three years.

A 5-10 guard/forward from Huntsville, Ala., Hampel brings a unique mix of athleticism and skill to the UMKC program. She helped lead her Hazel Green High School record to a remarkable 32-2 record and state runner-up finish in her junior season, averaging 16 points, 10 rebounds and four assists on the year while racking up numerous postseason honors including All-State First-Team, USA Today Alabama First-Team and a Mrs. Basketball finalist in Alabama. In addition to her success on the basketball court, Hampel was a standout member of the track team at Hazel Green, qualifying for state in both long jump and 400 meter events. Hampel has also excelled in her academic study as a member of the National Association of High School Scholars and National Honor Society, while landing on the school honor roll from 2014-2017.

Metz, a 6-2 forward from Nazareth Academy, gives the Roos another player with quality length and versatility. Metz competes in the AAU circuit with the Midwest Elite where her team qualified for the 15U EYBL National Tournament and she was selected to the All-Tournament Team. A High Honor Roll member at Nazareth Academy, Metz plans to study pre-medicine at UMKC.

Vigil adds another valuable post presence for the Roos. The 5-10 forward from Grandview High School (CO) helped lead her team to a Colorado 5A State Championship last season and three consecutive Centennial Conference Championships. Last season, Vigil averaged 13.8 points per game while also grabbing an impressive 8.6 rebounds and nearly two assists per game. She has played AAU ball with Team Fusion the past two years. Vigil earned her high school’s academic honor, the Falcon Award, last year recognizing her quality work in the classroom.

Johnson is the second Chicago, Ill., native in the 2018 class. The 5-9 point guard has been a key piece on her Kenwood Academy team over the past two seasons, earning All-Conference honors in both her sophomore and junior years. She accounted for 11.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and two assists per game last season, guiding her team to a sectional semi-final appearance. Johnson has played in AAU competition for Chicago Hoops Express for six years. She has been very involved in extra-curricular programs at Kenwood Academy, serving as the Senior Class Treasurer and a freshman mentor, in addition to earning Top 10 academic honors at the school all four years.

Ivory, a 5-5 guard from Bettendorf, Iowa, provides the Roos another scoring threat. She played in AAU competition with All Iowa Attack for three years before playing last year with Lady Pure Prep. A starter the past two seasons for Bettendorf High School, Ivory averaged 16.2 points and 3 rebounds per game in her junior season. She was selected as First-Team All-Conference each of the past two seasons while earning Third-Team All-State a year ago. A true threat from beyond the arc, Ivory currently holds the school record for three-pointers made in a game (8), season (69) and career (90).

“We narrowed our focus on players that we felt like were talented and skilled, but more importantly high character and high achieving kids,” said Hoyt. “We wanted players that love to work and hate to lose. Each of them come in with their own unique skill set, but also a shared vision of accomplishing things at UMKC that have never been accomplished. My staff and I are thrilled to coach this special group of players.”

The Roos open up the 2017-18 regular season tonight with a road game at Western Illinois at 7:30 p.m. CT. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN3 and will have Live Stats available.